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U.S. researchers found that women with mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes that increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer had a 70% to 80% lower risk of dying of the diseases after undergoing preventive mastectomy or having their ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. The study showed that women who underwent mastectomies had no breast cancer during the follow-up period, compared with a diagnosis of breast cancer in 7% of women who didn't have surgery.

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Actress and filmmaker Angelina Jolie, who chose to undergo prophylactic mastectomy after discovering she had the cancer-associated BRCA1 genetic mutation, recently chose to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. Jolie writes in The New York Times that a blood test showed possible markers of cancer, for which Jolie has a strong family history. InformedDNA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Rebecca Sutphen expressed hope that Jolie's discussion of her experience will prompt other women who may be at risk to consider genetic counseling, and then testing if it is warranted. The Affordable Care Act mandates coverage of genetic counseling for people who meet the criteria, Sutphen says.

Women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations who have their ovaries removed preventatively significantly reduce their risk of ovarian, fallopian tube or peritoneal cancer -- by 80% -- according to a new Canadian study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The study of 5,783 women carrying one of the mutations also showed that preventive ovary removal -- known as oophorectomy -- reduced the women's risk of dying of any cause before age 70 by 77%. Additionally, the researchers found that BRCA1 mutation carriers have a 1.5% risk of already having ovarian cancer if they remove their ovaries by age 40. That risk of ovarian cancer was estimated at 4.0% if BRCA1 mutation carriers wait until age 40 for oophorectomy, and it jumps to 14.2% if they hold off until age 50. The authors conclude that their findings support the recommendation for BRCA1 mutation carriers to undergo oophorectomy at age 35. In contrast, among BRCA2 mutation carriers, only one case of ovarian cancer was found in a woman younger than 50, suggesting women with this gene mutation can wait longer for surgery. Read the article.

Plastic surgeons should discuss with their patients a recent study showing that breast implants can obscure mammogram images and should refer patients to clinics with experience performing and analyzing mammograms of women with breast implants, plastic surgeon Jennifer Walden says. The study had limitations, and other studies have not found higher death rates in breast cancer patients with implants. Plastic surgeons should discuss risks and alternatives with potential breast augmentation patients and should discourage women with the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation from getting augmentation, Walden said.

Canadian researchers found that prostate cancer patients who carry BRCA1 and BRCA2 -- defective genes that are associated with ovarian cancer and an increased breast cancer risk among women -- had post-diagnosis survival times that fell short of the 12-year average for men. Patients with the BRCA1 gene lived on average for eight years while those with the BRCA2 survived on average for four years after diagnosis, according to the study.